1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a powdered developer filling device used for filling a developer container with a powdered developer, and more particularly, to a powdered developer filling device so adapted as to feed a powdered developer into a developer container from a feed port in an end of a feed nozzle to fill the developer container with the powdered developer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In feeding a powdered developer into a developing device in an electrophotographic apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer, a developer container is generally filled with a powdered developer to feed the powdered developer into a developing device from the developer container thus filled with the powdered developer.
In filling the developer container with the powdered developer, a filling device has been heretofore generally used so adapted that an end of a feed nozzle for feeding a powdered developer contained in a hopper into a developer container is inserted into a mouth portion of the developer container and the developer is fed into the developer container from a feed port in the end of the feed nozzle.
However, when the powdered developer is thus fed into the developer container from the feed port in the end of the feed nozzle, the developer fed is brown up in the developer container, and the developer thus brown up leaks out of the developer container through a clearance between the feed port in the end of the feed nozzle and the mouth portion of the developer container.
Consequently, these arise some problems. For example, the developer thus leaking out of the developer container adheres to the outer wall of the developer container to make the developer container dirty. In addition, the developer leaking out as described is scattered outward to damage the environment.
Even in the above described conventional filling device, therefore, a suction nozzle is provided in the vicinity of the feed port in the end of the feed nozzle for feeding the developer into the developer container, to suck the developer leaking out through the clearance between the feed port in the end of the feed nozzle and the mouth portion of the developer container to recover the same.
However, even when the developer leaking out through the clearance between the feed port in the end of the feed nozzle and the mouth portion of the developer container is thus sucked by the suction nozzle to be recovered, such a phenomenon occurs that the developer adheres to the outer wall of the developer container to make the developer container dirty and the developer is scattered around to damage the environment.